Me Ricordo Di Te
by Madame de'Neige
Summary: Felice is a kind person. She talks a lot, but she loves helping others. When she was a child, she had a friend named Ludwig. When she meets him again, it causes a lot of problems for some people. It also helps others. One major problem, though. He doesn't remember her. GerIta with Fem!Italy, Spamano, and PruAus.
1. Chapter 1

Felice walked down the narrow road to her home, where her older sister, Katerina, awaits her arrival. She happily hummed a song she had overheard being played at a nearby bar. Walking down the stone pathway, and turning the silver knob on the old red door to her home, she was greeted with a tomato to the face. "Big sister! I already told you, throwing tomatoes is not a nice thing to do! What if that had been Grandpa? That would have been rude," she shrieked, cleaning tomato out of her beautiful auburn hair. "You talk too much and you're late. Did you get me more tomatoes? If you didn't, I'll have to throw my last one at you," her sister replied, tossing her last tomato in her hands. "You didn't tell me we were out, so I didn't get them. Although, it's not too late. I could go out again to get you some more," she tried to talk her way out of being pelted with a tomato, although she was unsuccessful. The tomato landed on her shirt, splattering the red liquid from the small, round, fruit all over it.

The older of the two glared at the younger. Normally shiny brown eyes narrowed in a way that bore into Felice's soul. This made her uneasy. Her sister was one to get annoyed a lot but she had a soft spot for Felice and Felice only. Although, tomatoes were the one thing Katerina cared for more than her. "I'll just go to the market, again. I guess it wouldn't hurt," Felice said in an attempt to simmer down her sister. Katerina's eyes softened and she immediately jumped on her younger sister. The beautiful Italian girls becoming a heap on the floor, lathered in tomato juice. "Thank you, so much! I love you!" Katerina kept voicing heartfelt declarations of appreciation. "Ve~! I know, and I love you too, but I need to go," she tried to pry Katerina from her waist. "Would you like to go with me? We could keep each other company and I'll even let you pick out the tomatoes, but," she looked around, noticing the mess of tomato bits and red liquid seeping through her clothes, "I think we'll need to change first."

The elder sister dashed upstairs into their room to change. "I'll be right down!" she yelled. "No need, I'm coming up," Felice responded. "Hey, have you seen grandpa?" she asked as she slipped into her new, clean clothes. "Probably out flirting with some women or sitting in the cantina and drinking with some girl he met. Either way, he's with a woman. No doubt about it," she scoffed. Grandpa Roma was a ladies-man, no doubt. Katerina didn't like that. Who was she to judge, though? If he wanted to walk around, ten women on his left, eleven on his right, who was she to tell him he couldn't? No one. That's who. Felice felt the same way, whenever her sister would make a comment, she'd always mutter something that sounded vaguely like, "What are we going to do with him?"

After ten minutes of getting cleaned up, the two girls walked downstairs, put on their shoes, and headed for the market. They walked for about 20 minutes when they saw the market getting closer. "Ve~! Almost there!" said Felice as she spotted the brightly colored stands and tents. The village market is a very small, quaint place. Most of the villagers refuse to get anything from other markets. The fresh produce at the market was top quality. The girls walked to a stand where they saw a Spaniard selling tomatoes.

"Hello! How can I help you today, _Bella_?" he said. There was a cheeky grin plastered on his handsome face that made it appear even more radiant. He also happened to be looking pointedly in the direction of Katerina. She blushed a deep shade of red, and looked away. Felice was looking between the two and had a puzzled look on her face. Then, it finally registered in her head, and she nudged at her sister's back. The heat immediately left Katerina's face. Katerina turned around preparing to scowl at her sister for ruining the moment but Felice pulled her away from the stand to a deserted corner. "I saw you blush! Ve~! You must like him, no? I bet you do, and you just met him! Ow!" her sister hit her on the head. "I do not like him! He's just kind, handsome, and his smile is adorable. That's it," sighed Katerina. This feeling swelling up in her chest was overwhelming, frustrating, and annoying. His eyes were that beautiful shade of green you only see in emeralds. She glanced at him and caught him gazing at her, his eyes lively and dancing. His smile widened, and she turned back blushing beet red. "I knew you had the hots for him! Is it because he's cute, or the way he called you _'Bella?'" _asked Felice excitedly. "...Both, I guess," Katerina mumbled. Felice giggled and said, "Both? Well, what if he says something to you in Italian instead of English? His spanish accent would make it sound wonderful, wouldn't it? Would you turn redder than the tomatoes he's selling?" She was hit on the head again. "_Idiota,_" her sister mumbled the insult in Italian.

They walked back to the stand and Felice did the talking. "We would like to buy some tomatoes!" she said while picking one up that looked rather _perfecto_. "Ah, good choice Miss! I'm sure these would suit to your tastes as well," the kind man said, handing her a bag of tomatoes. "Thank you very much!" Felice glanced at her sister, who was gazing meaningfully into the Spaniard's eyes. "Um, excuse me, what is your name?" she asked, wanting to help Katerina. "It's Antonio, and, you girls are?" asked Antonio, eagerly awaiting a response specifically from Katerina. "...Katerina," she muttered. "My name is Felice!" she beamed. "Well, I'm pleased to meet you, Felice and, _Katerina,_" he emphasized Katerina's name with that heavy Spanish accent that made her melt on the inside. "Well, thank you for the tomatoes! I'm sure we will enjoy them!" Felice waved happily as she dragged her sister away.

Once they were far enough, she started talking, "So his name is Antonio! I guess that name's going to be in your head for a while," she teased. "Tch, as if!" Katerina objected even faster than the thought took to register in her mind. They were walking around in silence, but a comfortable silence. The only sounds that were heard were the village people chatting with the vendors and the small children playing games like tag, or racing each other in the green summer grass.

Felice was gazing around at the wondrous sight that was their village market and walked right into something. She stumbled backwards. When she regained her balance she looked up to see the back of a man who was only a few inches taller than herself. She quickly apologized in Italian, " Sorry! I didn't look to see where I was going! Sometimes I can be so clumsy! I'm so very sorry, Sir..." she looked up, only to be staring up into eyes as blue as the cloudless sky on this very day. She realized he was not Italian just by his eyes, and she also confirmed the thought when she saw that he had blonde hair, slicked back neatly.

Wait a second, she recognized that hair, and those eyes... _No way..._

"Um, hello?" she was cut from her thoughts by a voice. She quickly switched to English. "... Um, I'm very s-sorry! I'll just be g-going!" she started walking away from him when he grabbed her arm. "It's all right, Miss, but, may I get your name?" the man asked. "Don't you already know my name?" she thought he would remember her name. "No?" he looked puzzled. So he doesn't remember. "It's Felice," she answered, disappointed he didn't recognize her. "I'm Ludwig," he spoke. "I know that already," she said quietly. "What was that?" asked Ludwig. Felice answered quickly, "Nothing." Ludwig looked at her questioningly, "All right then," he said. It was awkwardly silent for a while."So, Ludwig, what are you doing in this village market? I haven't seen you around here," Felice finally broke the silence. "I live here now because I want to get closer to my brother," he answered calmly. She never knew he had a brother. "You have a brother? That's wonderful! I happen to have a big sister!" Felice looked to see that Katerina had walked ahead only a little and had stopped after she realized Felice was not behind her anymore. Katerina looked back. Felice pointed, "That's her. Isn't she pretty? Everyone thinks she's so pretty and charming, even though she's annoyed at everyone, but I still think she's very beautiful. I wish I was as beautiful as her," said Felice as she beamed at her sister.

_She's not even as beautiful as you are. You are amazingly alluring_, Ludwig thought. He had never seen someone of such radiance or beauty. He couldn't seem to put his finger on it but something about her stood out. Whether it was the way her eyes sparkled even if she was speaking of how she envied others, the curl at the tip of her auburn fringe that seemed to perk up when she did but never seemed to go flat, or the wonderful smile. That smile was the best smile Ludwig has ever seen. It was magnificent. Something about her made Ludwig's heart skip a beat, and they had just met mere moments ago, although Ludwig couldn't help but note that she looked familiar. Oh well.

She said something in Italian to her sister that Ludwig couldn't understand, and he mentally scolded himself for letting the deep blush creep onto his cheeks as she grabbed his hand and led him to where Katerina was standing. The heat in his face and neck wouldn't settle as they got there and she still didn't let go of his hand.

"Katerina, this is my new friend! Ludwig!" Felice introduced Ludwig to her sister who, in turn, just stood there, carefully examining him. She pulled Felice close to her and, just in case, started speaking in Italian, "Felice, I'm not sure you should be friends with someone so scary looking. I mean, look at him!" Felice glanced back and saw Ludwig staring intently at her. Those blue eyes fixed intently on hers. "I already know him," she said. "From where? Since when have you been friends with someone who is so big and tall?" her sister was totally confused. "Remember when we used to live in that little cottage by the river with the large flower bed?" she asked. Her sister nodded. "He was the boy I used to make flower crowns with!" she exclaimed. Katerina stopped her, "How do you know?" she asked. "I can recognize those eyes anywhere!" she said. "Oh! Can you go on ahead? I wanna take a walk with him and see if he remembers me," she explained, handing her sister their bag of tomatoes. "Don't come home late. I'm making pasta for dinner," her sister warned. Her sister planted a kiss on her sister's forehead, gave a firm squeeze to her shoulder, and walked away.

Felice and Ludwig walked down the road in the opposite direction of her house, and Ludwig was both nervous and extremely happy when he took note that not once did Felice let go of his hand. His blush was so intense that he couldn't possibly look any redder. Felice noticed this and asked, "Is something wrong?" but was only answered with a shake of Ludwig's head. He looked away, _She doesn't even notice. It's like this is normal for her. _He couldn't help taking a glance at her and saw her looking right back at him. They locked eyes for a minute, which ultimately felt like an hour, when Felice, almost hesitantly, pulled away from his gaze. "Let's turn around. I'm sure that if we don't start walking now we won't get back before sun down, and I hate being out after dark. Will you walk me home, Ludwig?" Felice asked hopefully. "Of course I will," answered Ludwig.

As they walked, Felice swung both their hands between the two of them. She was grinning wider than she ever had before. "You look very happy," Ludwig pointed out. "That's because I've never had a friend as kind and friendly as you. You never tell me I'm too cheery, you're not annoyed by me, you're just so nice! You're the greatest person I've ever met! You also have the kindest eyes I have ever seen!" she exclaimed. Ludwig practically fainted. He had never been complimented so openly. Sure his brother, on occasion, would say, "You sure are something, little bro," or something of the sort, but no one had ever said something like this. His chest was swelling up, he had never felt the sensation, and he didn't exactly know what to make of it. It was overwhelming, warm, terrifying, and made him feel giddy and happy all at the same time. He couldn't help but let a smile slide onto his face and replace his normally stoic expression.

Felice giggled when she caught a glance at Ludwig's handsome smile. It was so warm and bright. It was almost as if the world brightened when he raised the corners of his lips. Felice found herself smiling even wider, and they just stood there, in silence, beaming at each other. The looks on their faces saying what they didn't need words to express. Hers saying, _I meant what I said. _His saying, _I feel the same way._ The only bad part was that it was very brief. This time Ludwig pulled away and sighed, although his smile never faltered.

They continued venturing toward the direction they came from when Felice asked, "Hey, Ludwig?" but kept walking. "Hm?" he replied. "What are you doing here in Italy?" she interrogated, looking up at him. "Well, you see, I used to live in Germany with my grandfather, and my brother as well. My brother then found love, and moved to Europe. He first lived in Austria with a pianist named Roderich, but then they settled in Italy. In the town over. I live in this village because I couldn't stand to impose on my brother, but at least I get to see him often. I had to save up so much money to move here. It took a while, nonetheless, but it was worth it," he explained. "Oh. Okay, then! It seems like you and your brother are very close. If my sister were to move away, I'm sure I would have probably done the same thing. I don't know what she would do if I found love, though," she thought about the word. Love_. Amor. _She had always wondered what the feeling was like. What it would be like to fall in love. "Isn't love a wonderful thing, Ludwig?" she sighed. Ludwig's heart skipped a beat. Talking about this with someone who made him feel the way he did was embarrassing.

They had finally arrived at the house when the Katerina opened the door and looked completely and utterly ticked off. "Where have you been? Grandpa and I have been so worried! Your pasta got cold, too!" she just kept nagging about Felice being late. "Ludwig, it was nice getting to know you! Maybe we can hang out again tomorrow!" Felice yelled as she ran to her house. As Ludwig confirmed it as a date, she happily waved goodbye until he was out of sight. Then she closed the door behind her, and walked into the kitchen. She hugged her grandfather and greeted him the way they always did. A kiss on each cheek, followed by a loud and cheery, "Ciao!" As she turned around, she was met with a tomato to the face and a hug from her big sister. Wiping the tomato off her face, Felice grinned, "Big sister! Were you worried about me?" Katerina pulled away, face red, "Of course not, _Estupida_! Who would be?" her sister turned away, but Felice could see a tiny smile playing at her lips.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_"Felice! Come on!" he called to me. I followed closely behind. He was running to the place where we always play together, the river with the really big flower bed. "Iʼm almost there," I yelled to him. I caught up to him and sat down._

_I started plucking daisies and weaving them together. I had a lot of practice, so I finished in no time. I took his big hat off and put the flower crown on his head. He looked at me with those deep blue eyes and slightly red cheeks. I put his hat on and smiled at him._

_Just as he was about to say something, I saw my sister walking up the hill. "Felice! Grandpa is making pizza and pasta for dinner!" she seemed very happy about it. She loves pizza and pasta. "Huh? Who is this?" she asked, looking very puzzled. "This is my friend, Ludwig!" I answered happily. "Well, itʼs nice to meet you!" Katerina said pleasantly. I smiled at him and stood up._

_"Iʼm sorry I have to leave, but Iʼll see you tomorrow!" I explained to him. "Wait!" he grabbed my arm, "I canʼt see you tomorrow. Iʼm leaving. I was about to tell you... I didnʼt know how to, though." He let go and I just smiled, "Well then I guess you are going to need this back," I said, handing him his hat. On the inside, I was crying. I wanted to hold his arm, tell him to stay. That would only make things harder, though._

_I took the flower crown and a few more daisies. I looked at his hat and, within a few minutes, fashioned a replica of it with the flowers. I always loved art. So, I had lots of practice with this kind of thing. I gave him the flower hat and he took his off. He gave it to me and put mine on. It looked so cute on him. He leaned over and kissed me. I was startled, but it wasnʼt a bad thing. When we broke off, he smiled at me. "I hope we meet again, someday," he said. "I promise that I will wait for you!" I shouted to him. Then he turned and ran away. Leaving me there, with my hand still on the place where his lips were._

"Ludwig!" Felice awoke, sweat dripping from her forehead. She was breathing heavily. She wiped at her head. She sat there wondering. _Why now, of all times, did I have to remember that day? _She wiped at her eyes, then lied down again. She lied there for a good twenty minutes when she decided she wasnʼt going back to sleep.

Getting up slowly, and creeping to the dresser, she took her pajamas off. She folded them neatly and placed them in her drawer. She changed into a shirt that she had laying on a chair in the corner of her bedroom. She put some pants on and went downstairs. She slipped into her shoes and headed off.

A walk is usually what Felice does when she is bored. On her way, she was stopped by a random person. He was very tall. Even taller than Ludwig. "Hey there, cutie," he said. Felice knew about these kind of people. Monsters that molest young girls. She couldnʼt let that happen. He grabbed her arm. "Let go! Help! Someone, please, help me!" she screamed and yelled, but no one had come to her aid. Just as she was about to yell again, she felt the grip on her arm lighten up.

She looked up, only to see Ludwig. His face was contorted with anger while he was beating Feliceʼs perpetrator. He punched the man in his face again before he gripped the man by his collar and leaned in, "If I catch you doing something like this again, youʼre are going to regret ever being born," he said. With that, he dropped the man to the floor. The man got up quickly, and ran without a second thought.

"Are you okay?" Ludwig looked at Felice, the concern evident in his eyes. "I-I think so," she was shaking. She was so close to being violated, it made her want to cry and run into the arms of her grandfather. "Hey, look at me," Felice looked up, the concern in his eyes was still there, but now accompanied by something unidentifiable. As they stood there, Felice couldnʼt help but wonder. _Why was Ludwig here anyway? There isnʼt anything out here. _"Ludwig? What are you doing here?" Felice asked him. "Oh, I was just walking around town. I was trying to clear my head," he said. "Of what?" she asked another question. Ludwig sighed. He didnʼt know how to tell her that he was thinking of her. Specifically how he thought she looked like someone he knew. Mostly of her in general. "Just things," was all he could think of. "Okay," she seemed convinced.

Katerina woke up. "Felice?" she asked sleepily as she got off the bed. She walked over to her sisterʼs bed. Felice was always up before her and never got out of bed until Katerina woke up. It was odd, nonetheless. She pulled the covers off and gasped when she saw the row of pillows down her bed. She knew that no one would try to cover up the fact that they got out of bed if they were still in the house. _Did she sneak out? What could she be doing that sheʼd want to cover up? _She snapped out of her thoughts, got dressed, and dashed outside.

Felice was content with being in Ludwigʼs arms, but it wasnʼt even 9 oʼclock in the morning and she was already exhausted. "Well, Katerina should wake up any minute now, and I suppose that sheʼll be worried if Iʼm not home. I should also tell Grandpa Roma what happened. So, Iʼll be going," she said. "Wait!" Ludwig grabbed her arm again, "Does that mean that we arenʼt going to go out today?" Felice thought about it. "Iʼll meet you over here again. I really am not sure when, though," she started thinking of a time to meet up. "It doesnʼt matter. If you arenʼt here, Iʼll wait for you. Forever. I promise," he looked into her eyes. _That was the promise I made him when he left. _"I promise Iʼll wait for you too," she agreed. He hugged her and they walked away.

As she was walking to her home, Felice ran into Katerina. "You idiot! What is wrong with you?" her sister panted. "Were you looking for me?" Felice pointed to herself. "Of course I was!" she yelled, "What happened?" As Felice remembered the events that had unfolded, tears were welling up in her eyes. "Oh, Katerina! I was so scared! The man grabbed my arm and he was going to do terrible things to me!" she sobbed into her sisterʼs shoulder. She wiped at her eyes and sniffled, "But Ludwig came and saved me! He was so heroic!" she immediately stopped crying. "Your friend?" Katerina asked. "Yep!" she stated, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Oi, shouldnʼt you be a bit more concerned about your own safety? I mean, you were about to be violated, and yet youʼre happy," she was so confused. Felice was very odd, and it made Katerina worry for her safety. "Thatʼs because every time I think of Ludwig, I canʼt help but smile!" the beautiful brunette beamed.

Katerina sighed, "He makes you that happy, huh?" Felice nodded like she had never been more sure in her life. "Well, then I guess I have no choice but to be friends with him. I still donʼt like him. I remember what he did. He left you," she was always mad at him for leaving on that day. Her sister did nothing but cry and clutch that hat for who knows how many months. "But he came back!" Felice defended him. She knew he was coming back someday. Now that he had, she was the happiest girl on Earth.

"Why did he leave in the first place?" they were starting to argue. "He had no other choice!" Felice knew he wasnʼt able to control what happened. She didnʼt blame him for anything. "Well, defend him all you want. He has to do something amazing to gain my forgiveness," Katerina crossed her arms. "He saved me from a violator!" Felice yelled. "That wasnʼt even close to enough!" her sister shrieked, "That doesnʼt even begin to cover the months of pain he put you through!" Feliceʼs face softened.

"Katerina, I-"

"You think I didnʼt want to help you? I saw you suffering and I couldnʼt do anything," she had tears in her eyes, "I wanted to help you because you know that there isnʼt anything I wouldnʼt do to help my dear sister!" Felice walked up to Katerina and hugged her. "There wasnʼt anything anyone could have done. No one could have done anything. Iʼm sorry Iʼve made you worry about me, but heʼs my friend. What kind of friend would I be if I didnʼt forgive him?" she tried her best to stop the crying. Itʼs true that Katerina doesnʼt like people. Sheʼs rude to them because they arenʼt her favorite beings. Although, when it comes to her sister she becomes weak. If Felice is in trouble, the one person she can always count on is Katerina, because she will be with her every step of the way.

They kneeled on the floor and Felice was sitting there, comforting her sister. Reassuring her and making sure that her sister stopped crying. When Katerina cries, it takes a while to get it to stop. It also doesnʼt happen often. When Felice heard Katerina stop crying, she looked down. Katerina was looking up at her, tears in her eyes, and she looked like a mess. "You know, you always look like this when you stop crying, but somehow, you still look pretty," Felice said in attempt to lighten the mood. Katerina giggled. "What about you? You are always adorable, no matter what!" they sat there giggling and complimenting each other. Katerina sighed, "Felice, I love you. You know that, right? I mean, you are my only sister, but even if I had another sibling, Iʼd still love you the most," she declared. "Ve! Thank you so much! I love you, too!"

They hugged, and this time not so smoothly. They tried to pull away, getting their curls tangled together. "Haa... Ow. Okay, that hurts." The two of them were trying to get their curls untangled. "Stop moving... Nngh... Would you stay still?" Katerina was trying to untangle the curls as fast as she could. People were walking past them, and giving them odd looks. "I... Haa... I donʼt th-think this is working," Felice said. Their sensitive curls were causing them to get a lot of concerned people to ask questions. "Weʼre fine! We just need to walk home!" said Katerina hurriedly. She slid her hand in Feliceʼs and they walked all the way home, side by side.

"Grandpa! Are you home?" they asked in unison. "Si! Whatʼs the-" he stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the curls. "Mio dio! Are you girls okay?" he asked, with concern showing in his eyes. "Yeah. Nngh! Ugh, we canʼt untangle them!" Forcefully pulling, Katerina gave up. "Grandpa, help us, please," Felice pleaded. Their grandfather skillfully twisted their curls this way and that, untangling them in 17 seconds flat.

"How do you do that?" they asked simultaneously. He tapped his own curl and winked, "Practice." The girls looked at him. "Can you untie your own curl?" asked Felice. "Sure I can!" he looked down at them, chuckling in confidence. Katerina walked right up to Grandpa Roma and tied his curl. "You moan, you lose," she smirked. She high-fived her sister. Their grandfather pouted. "Thatʼs not going to happen. Iʼm not going to be able to do that, but If I can, you will have to try as well," he smirked back. "What kind of grandfather does this? You are a sick man!" the sisters said together. "What? You did the same thing!" they argued. "That doesnʼt mean itʼs alright for you to do it!" Katerina yelled. "Yeah! I mean, it does seem awkward enough as it is," said Felice quietly.

"Fine! Although, you still have to do it. In front of a person who isnʼt family. Itʼs not sick if Iʼm not watching you!" he let the smirk find its way to his face once more. The girls gasped. "Th-that would be even more awkward and embarrassing!" said Katerina. "Are we just going to find some random stranger?" Their grandfather boomed with laughter. "It has to be someone you know!" he replied. "Well then, I guess Iʼll have to ask maybe someone like Ludwig... Oh no! Ludwig! I forgot! Oh gosh, oh gosh! Iʼm late!" she ran out of the house without saying a word.


End file.
